OnePlus just unveiled a new concept phone equipped with cryogenic liquid to keep it cool

• Chinese tech company OnePlus has unveiled a new concept phone at MWC 2023.
• The OnePlus 11 Concept boasts a new eye-catching cryogenic cooling system.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has unveiled a new concept phone that courses with cryogenic liquid to keep it cool during high-intensity tasks like gaming.

The new OnePlus 11 Concept pairs PC-grade cooling technology with the design of high-end watches. The first thing you notice about the phone is how visually striking it is; it has a vibrant "flowing back" thanks to an active cooling system as well as guilloche etching around the camera lenses.

OnePlus, which is known for its gaming phones, has developed its own PC-like cooling system for smartphones, called the Active CryoFlux.

There's no doubt that the OnePlus 11 Concept was designed to show off the system. "It's like the device has its own set of blood vessels drawing heat from the chipset area," Tuomas Lampén, strategy head at OnePlus Europe, told press at a briefing in Barcelona.

In lab tests, it reduced the phone's temperature by up to 2.1 degrees Celsius during gameplay, which improves the frame rate by three to four frames per second. It also brought the temperature down while charging by up to 1.6 degrees Celsius, shaving up to 45 seconds off the overall charge time.

OnePlus also gave it a transparent glass back to show off the cryogenic liquid flowing through the phone. The company's logo is typically featured at the center on the back of devices but was moved to the bottom right of the concept.

The camera's guilloche etching gives the device a high-end, mechanical feel – which is just what the company wanted.

"Our designers drew inspiration from luxury timepieces, combining the traditional craftsmanship of a watch, with the sense of fashion and artistic flair, with the latest advances in technology," Lampén said.

I'm usually a fan of a more subtle camera display but the blue "halo" — as OnePlus called it — of Active CryoFlux liquid around the camera really tied the design together. The OnePlus 11 Concept has three camera lenses in the same style as other OnePlus 11 models. The camera itself was also really sharp.

The glass back was combined with a curved screen and small bezel, making it look slick and nice to hold. It didn't feel slippy.

The cooling feature does not "significantly" impact the phone's weight or thickness, Lampén said. It didn't feel heavy, but it's worth noting that I own a phone from 2017 so most new models will feel lighter to me.

The device is just a concept. OnePlus didn't hint at when or if it will come to market but said its research and development team has spent two years working on it.

The company also revealed its flagship tablet at MWC, the OnePlus Pad. Its battery allows for over 12.4 hours of video and can last for up to a month on standby. OnePlus also showed off the Pad's accompanying keyboard and pen, which are sold separately.